Disinformation war: Russia aims to shake the confidence and unity of Ukraine and its partners, according to a report.
Russia continues to rely on disinformation campaigns to undermine trust between Ukraine and its international partners, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. According to The Kyiv Independent report, the Russian secret service is striving in particular to destabilize the internal cohesion of Ukrainian society.
These disinformation efforts are not new. Russia regularly spreads misrepresentations about Ukraine, including claims that the country is a “neo-Nazi” state or attempts to blame NATO for the outbreak of war.
Russia intensifies its war of lies
In response to these propaganda efforts, Skibitskyi, a representative of Ukrainian military intelligence, stresses the importance of transparency and truth. “Ukraine’s military intelligence has opened up in its information policy,” he says. According to The Kyiv Independent, he points out that Ukrainian authorities publish data revealing Russia’s intentions and also publish evidence of Russian war crimes.
The Kyiv Independent also cites a July 31th U.S. State Department memo warning of Kremlin tactics. Russian intelligence services would launch or influence websites posing as news outlets only to spread misinformation and incite unrest.
Finally, it is emphasized that this information war between Russia and Ukraine is not only taking place on the digital battlefield. In addition to Ukrainian civil society, Ukrainian allies and partners are also targeted by Moscow.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Putin-Shoigu (2022-06-22), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)